Chapter 857
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Joseph frowned. âWhy? Theyâre clearly here to cause trouble.â
âThey look hungry and pitiful⦠especially the child. Please do as I said.â
âAlright.â He didnât sound convinced, but nodded and went off anyway.
Entering Ashtonâs office, I spotted him reading a document. I placed the lunchbox that I brought right in
front of him on his desk. Snatching the pen and document in his hands away, I chided, âI know youâre a
workaholic, but youâve just burnt the midnight oil. At least eat some breakfast and then take a nap on
the bed.â I was acting angrier than I truly felt.
The faint hints of a smile grew on his face as he pulled me to sit in his lap. âWhy are you here so early
in the morning?â He sighed deeply and buried his face in my hair. âDid you not sleep last night?â
The sight of his stubble starting to poke out of his chin pulled at my heartstrings. âEnough about me;
have you seen what you look like? Thatâs it, no more chit-chat. Eat your breakfast and then take a nap!â
I climbed off of his legs and opened up the lunchbox for him.
Surprisingly, he obediently ate the food in silence, and then insisted on having me sleep beside him. I
was unwilling at first, but he looked so serious when he said, âI canât sleep without you.â
Thus, I had no choice but to lay down in his embrace and closed my eyes.
Soon after, I heard the sounds of his even breathing. He must be exhausted after pulling an all-nighter.
The echoes of footsteps rang out from the office. Taking advantage of Ashtonâs deep sleep state, I
slowly tiptoed out of bed and left the private restroom. The first thing I saw once I was back in the office
was Joseph pacing back and forth looking worried.
Upon seeing me, he quickly asked, âMrs. Fuller, is Mr. Fuller currently taking a break?â
I nodded. âDid something happen?â
Joseph sounded slightly apprehensive as he explained, âThe situation with Sashaâs family is getting
worse. Theyâve rounded up a large number of distant relatives and are continuing to be a disturbance.
The lobby is a complete mess, and itâs starting to affect the employeesâ work.â
âDidnât Ashton asked you to investigate Sashaâs relationship with her family yesterday? Did you find out
who the kid is?â
âYes, the child is her four-year-old daughter. Sasha was a single mother who had gotten pregnant when
she was a university student. No one knows who the childâs father is. Both of Sashaâs parents were
local laborers and had now retired. Theyâre not very poor, but Sasha has an older brother with a
gambling addiction who stole their parentsâ retirement savings and rent savings. Now, all her parents
have left is a rented house thatâs fifty square feet large. Theyâre going through a relatively hard time.â
That was the reason why Sashaâs parents were so desperate for money after her death. After all, her
entire family had been dependent on her income solely and had already been living a frugal life before
this. Now that she had suddenly passed away in a freak accident, it was near impossible for two senior
citizens and a young toddler to survive on their own.
After pondering for a long while, I told Joseph, âYou havenât slept at all, have you? Go and take a rest in
the office. Iâll handle the situation in the lobby.â
âN-No, Iâm fineâ¦â he stuttered.
âJoseph, I know I havenât been a consistent employee of Fuller Corporation, but that doesnât mean that
I donât know anything,â I insisted. âBesides, the issue downstairs is just a civil dispute and not
something that requires special knowledge. I can handle it myself. So relax and go take a rest, alright?â
He opened his mouth as if to argue further, but his phone suddenly rang out from his pocket.
Awkwardly excusing himself to answer the call, I heard what sounded like his wife on the other side of
the phone. âHubby, the baby has a fever, please come home quick!â
His expression swiftly changed upon hearing that. Turning to me, he stressed, âIâll leave things in your
hands, Mrs. Fuller. I have an emergency at home, but Iâll come back as soon as possible.â
I nodded, reminding him to take care of himself once more.
I went downstairs to the lobby at the same time that Joseph left the building. It was still working hours,
so there was only a group of about ten or more people of all ages standing around in the lobby. They
had somehow gotten hold of a huge banner and had written the words âA life for a life! Repay your
debts!â across it. They seemed quite serious about the message, too.
The receptionists were all cowering in fear behind the counter, deathly afraid that one wrong word
would unleash the familyâs wrath upon them.
I couldnât help but feel thankful that Sashaâs body had been taken away prior to this by workers from
the funeral parlor. If they hadnât, her relatives might have carried her coffin case all the way here as a
part of their demonstration.
There were security guards stationed at the elevators to prevent them from barging into the upstairs
offices and disrupting the employeesâ work.
I immediately caught sight of the group that seemed to have run out of energy as I exited the elevator.
Heading for the front counter, I asked one of the receptionists, âHave the reporters been here today?â
Logically speaking, there should have been more reporters today than yesterday, but there was not a
single one to be seen.
The receptionist did a double-take after seeing me, but she quickly regained her composure. âThey
usually come by during noon or at night. Thatâs when the lobby is filled with people, and thatâs the only
time that Mr. Fuller will pass through the lobby.â